The present invention concerns vehicle mirrors, and more particularly relates to rearview mirrors having an integrated frame.
Interior and exterior rearview mirrors of modern passenger vehicles have become heavier and heavier as more and more content and features are added. For example, many modern vehicle mirrors include several of the following options: electrochromic mirror subassemblies and circuitry to reduce glare, keyless entry sensing systems, microphone-speaker-antennae-phone communication systems, audio-control systems, compass and temperature devices and displays, lighting, switches for control of electrical circuits, and the like. Since most vehicle mirrors are supported from one side (usually a back or topside), this added weight creates a pendulum effect that causes the mirrors to shake, vibrate, and resonate unacceptably. In order to reduce the shaking, vibration, and resonation, the rear support area on most rearview mirrors is beefed up to increase rigidity and stability, and/or reinforcement ribs are added to the rear support area. However, any increase in wall thickness and/or increase in the number of reinforcement ribs adds to part weight, adds to sinks and blemishes and other quality problems when molding the parts, and adds to part complexity. Further, the added ribs take up substantial space, making a profile of the mirrors much larger. It is desirable to provide a mirror design where the number of reinforcement ribs and webs in a mirror housing are minimized or eliminated, and where the mirror housing is primarily designed as a cosmetic covering rather than a structural member. It is noted that vehicle manufacturers have high visual standards for the housings of interior rearview mirrors, since vehicle passengers not only look at and touch the mirror housings often, but also the mirrors are in a position where every blemish and defect is easily seen.
Modern interior rearview mirrors are typically mounted from their hidden backside by an elongated mount, and are made to be angularly adjustable by a ball-and-socket connector that connects the mirror to the mount. This allows each vehicle driver to angularly adjust the mirror to an optimal position and preference. The adjustable connector is made sufficiently rigid to hold the mirror in a selected angular position, even when receiving substantial vibrational stress. However, the adjustable connectors include multiple separate parts and pieces that require assembly, and further take up space. It would be desirable to provide a mount where the ball and socket connection was better integrated into one of the mirror components.
Still another concern is wire management. Modern vehicle mirrors can have several wires connected to internal components within the mirror head. These wires need to be managed so that they do not become entangled or pinched during assembly or during angular adjustment. Further, mis-positioning of wires can cause substantial variation in electromagnetic interference and radio frequency interference emitted from power-using electrical components on the mirror, which is of increasing concern to vehicle manufacturers. It is desirable to provide a mirror having an integrated wire management system so that wires are well managed and consistently located in the mirror, and so that the wires are integrally shielded along with the electrical devices that they are connected to.
Another concern is impact testing and vehicle safety. For example, at least one vehicle manufacturer requires that the mirror glass not break or result in separation of large glass pieces from the mirror, particularly where the glass pieces are more than 2.5 mm from a crack line, since loose broken glass can be injurious to a vehicle driver or passenger. Hence, it is important that glass elements be supported in a manner that minimizes a tendency of the glass to be sharply bent and broken upon impact, and that holds the glass elements in a manner keeping broken pieces from coming loose upon impact. This problem can be complicated in an electrochromic (EC) mirror since an EC mirror has two glass elements with an EC material therebetween.
In addition to the above problems, as mirrors have become increasingly complex and sophisticated, the number of parts and pieces necessary for assembly have increased. It is desirable to provide an improvement where the many parts and pieces can be assembled in a more open physical arrangement, rather than having to be assembled into the cavity of a concave mirror housing. It is also potentially preferable that the mirror housing be designed more for “pure aesthetics”, such that functional aspects are not as much of a concern.
Accordingly, an apparatus is desired having the aforementioned advantages and solving and/or making improvements on the aforementioned disadvantages.